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Hi Everyone,
I'm almost 2 weeks post op (time flies) and wanted to put up a day-by-day of my hospital stay (to the best of my ability) like I said I would, and also give an idea of where I am right now. Sorry in advance for the length!
Day 1 - Surgery Day. I arrived at the hospital at 5:45am. The surgery was scheduled for 7:45. The plan was that my boyfriend would drive me, and my parents would meet us around 6:30-7 to say goodbye to me before going in. I was shocked with how quickly the pre-op business went. They called me back, got me changed, and let my boyfriend come back with me. They were ready to take me back by 6:20, so I didn't get to see my parents. I'll admit, I got teary as the rolled me away from my boyfriend.
A neurologist spent time putting electrodes on my arms, legs, chest and head. I was a little freaked out, particularly since I was by myself and hadn't seen my parents. The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist telling me he'd give me something to help me relax...
After surgery, I did not need to go into the ICU, and went straight to the recovery room. I barely remember waking up, and asking for my family, and being wheeled into my room where they let my family see me. The told me it went really well (surgery was shorter than expected, I didn't need a transfusion, I wouldnt need a brace, and I didn't have any abrasions on my face). My mother says I spoke very softly , and my most common response was a soft, high pitched, "yay!."
Day 2 - I was on a pain pump, which administered dilaudid. It worked well, but the draw back was that when I slept, I wasn't getting any relief, so I would wake up in lots of pain. I needed nurses to help me move, and couldnt roll myself at all. I began to eat a clear liquid diet. They ordered xrays for me, and after being transfered from bed to gurney, wheeled through the hospital (bumpy!), taken on an elevator, and moved from gurney to xray table, and left there, alone, for what seemed like forever, they realized the xrays were supposed to be standing. At that point, I was no where near being able to stand... so I was wheeled back to my hospital room, where I proceeded to throw up a fowl shade of green... (low point number 1)
Day 3 - for the second time, the PT came to my bed and tried to help me sit. My blood pressure dropped stupid low, so they had to lay me back down. My stomach started to feel distended. I think this was when I switched to oral meds (though I was still on an antinausia and an antibiotic).
Day 4 - They removed the catheter because it was so uncomfortable. When I finally needed to use the bathroom, I was motivated to walk myself there with a walker, even though I hadn't even stood up yet. By then, my stomach was more uncomfortable than my back. They put me back on IV (no more food) so nothing more would build up in my stomach.
Day 5 - My stomach felt better after being on the IV for awhile without food. I went for xrays, this time much more successfully. I had 2 friends visit me, though they left when my stomach started to feel bad again in the evening. They called in an attending, who ordered an xray of my stomach, which appeared to be moderately distended.
Day 6 - They told me I could start on sips of water. By this time I was walking in the hallway, and just waiting not-so-patiently for my stomach to awaken.
Day 7 - I was back to a clear liquid diet. My stomach was making enough noise that the nurse expected it would be back to good soon enough. I was walking comfortably, and I was discharged around 2pm.
Overall, with the exception of my stomach trouble, my hospital stay was fine. The nurses were good (with the exception of 2, which is nothing considering the number I interacted with). I would have been out of the hospital much sooner if it wasn't for my tummy...
I've been home for almost a week now, and am getting sick of the same scenery. I'm comfortable sitting on the couch with lots of pillows, and have found a semi-comfortable position to sleep in. I'm extending the amount of time between doses of pain meds just a little (I'm on Dilaudid). Car rides are difficult due to pot holes, and the weather - it's icy so I can't really go for walks. And I'm SO anxious to be independent again, and back to "normal." Oh - and I grew about an inch and a half!
Sorry for the length of the post, but I hope it's helpful to some of you
I'm almost 2 weeks post op (time flies) and wanted to put up a day-by-day of my hospital stay (to the best of my ability) like I said I would, and also give an idea of where I am right now. Sorry in advance for the length!
Day 1 - Surgery Day. I arrived at the hospital at 5:45am. The surgery was scheduled for 7:45. The plan was that my boyfriend would drive me, and my parents would meet us around 6:30-7 to say goodbye to me before going in. I was shocked with how quickly the pre-op business went. They called me back, got me changed, and let my boyfriend come back with me. They were ready to take me back by 6:20, so I didn't get to see my parents. I'll admit, I got teary as the rolled me away from my boyfriend.
A neurologist spent time putting electrodes on my arms, legs, chest and head. I was a little freaked out, particularly since I was by myself and hadn't seen my parents. The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist telling me he'd give me something to help me relax...
After surgery, I did not need to go into the ICU, and went straight to the recovery room. I barely remember waking up, and asking for my family, and being wheeled into my room where they let my family see me. The told me it went really well (surgery was shorter than expected, I didn't need a transfusion, I wouldnt need a brace, and I didn't have any abrasions on my face). My mother says I spoke very softly , and my most common response was a soft, high pitched, "yay!."
Day 2 - I was on a pain pump, which administered dilaudid. It worked well, but the draw back was that when I slept, I wasn't getting any relief, so I would wake up in lots of pain. I needed nurses to help me move, and couldnt roll myself at all. I began to eat a clear liquid diet. They ordered xrays for me, and after being transfered from bed to gurney, wheeled through the hospital (bumpy!), taken on an elevator, and moved from gurney to xray table, and left there, alone, for what seemed like forever, they realized the xrays were supposed to be standing. At that point, I was no where near being able to stand... so I was wheeled back to my hospital room, where I proceeded to throw up a fowl shade of green... (low point number 1)
Day 3 - for the second time, the PT came to my bed and tried to help me sit. My blood pressure dropped stupid low, so they had to lay me back down. My stomach started to feel distended. I think this was when I switched to oral meds (though I was still on an antinausia and an antibiotic).
Day 4 - They removed the catheter because it was so uncomfortable. When I finally needed to use the bathroom, I was motivated to walk myself there with a walker, even though I hadn't even stood up yet. By then, my stomach was more uncomfortable than my back. They put me back on IV (no more food) so nothing more would build up in my stomach.
Day 5 - My stomach felt better after being on the IV for awhile without food. I went for xrays, this time much more successfully. I had 2 friends visit me, though they left when my stomach started to feel bad again in the evening. They called in an attending, who ordered an xray of my stomach, which appeared to be moderately distended.
Day 6 - They told me I could start on sips of water. By this time I was walking in the hallway, and just waiting not-so-patiently for my stomach to awaken.
Day 7 - I was back to a clear liquid diet. My stomach was making enough noise that the nurse expected it would be back to good soon enough. I was walking comfortably, and I was discharged around 2pm.
Overall, with the exception of my stomach trouble, my hospital stay was fine. The nurses were good (with the exception of 2, which is nothing considering the number I interacted with). I would have been out of the hospital much sooner if it wasn't for my tummy...
I've been home for almost a week now, and am getting sick of the same scenery. I'm comfortable sitting on the couch with lots of pillows, and have found a semi-comfortable position to sleep in. I'm extending the amount of time between doses of pain meds just a little (I'm on Dilaudid). Car rides are difficult due to pot holes, and the weather - it's icy so I can't really go for walks. And I'm SO anxious to be independent again, and back to "normal." Oh - and I grew about an inch and a half!
Sorry for the length of the post, but I hope it's helpful to some of you
I remember I didn't even feel that hungry although I didn't get to eat anything for 5 days after surgery. I think the hunger issue didn't really happen very much because I was getting food via the IV. I DID wish I could eat though! I missed having food! And I was thirsty, but the ice chips helped some with that.
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